Q: Gasoline pours out of the almost empty gas tank

asked by on May 25, 2016

My car has issues with the gas tank. The last time I tried to refill it as it was almost empty, the gasoline poured out. It happened when I released the pump. What could be causing this? Thank you in advance.

Hi there. This is typically caused by one of two things. The most common being a bad fuel tank vent valve. This valve should open while fueling allowing the fuel vapor to be released to keep the fuel from backing up during fueling. It may also be a restriction in the fuel tank filler neck. I typically remove the neck first and make sure that there are not any issues there. If the filler is fine, then the vent valve and its hoses need to be checked. Most of the time it is the vent valve though. If you are going to have this repaired, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to inspect your gas tank issue and recommend an appropriate repair.

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